Car-seat



(No Model.) v E. T. STARR.

GAR SEAT.

No. 253,951. l Patented Feb. 21,1882.

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N.V PETERS. Flwwulhngnpher. washingwn. n. C.

PATENT OFFICE;

ELI T. s'rAnR, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-SEAT.

' SPECIFICATION formingpart `of Letters Patent No. 253,951, dated February 21, 1882.

Application vfiled yJ'uly 30, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom 'it may concern Beit known that I, ELIT. STARR, of the cityr and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-(Jar Seats or Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to seats or chairs for use in railroadcars, which are propelled by steam and subject to'thejerk's and sudden startsincident to the starting, stopping, and motions of trains. The unpleasant motions and disturbances created bythe sudden jerky movements of 4cars have long been a serious objection to railroad travel, and in some cases interdict entirely the safe conveyance of sick and delicatepersonslongdistances byrail.

-The object of my presentinventicnis to thoroughly overcome all objections to railroad travel from the sources mentioned, and to provide a seat or chair which affords the passenger comfortable rest, and which substitutes for the unpleasant motions heretofore experienced an easy, smooth, and steady motion at the sudden starting and stopping ofthe car and during the travel of the car from station to station.

The subject-matter claimed is particularly pointed out at the close of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a complete railroadchair embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is g a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the upper portion of the yielding supports or connections on the line 3 Siof Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a similar vertical sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

A base-plate, A, preferably circular in form, is fastened rigidly to the floor of the car, so as to constitute a fixture thereof, as usual. A standard, a, preferably cast with the base, rises centrally therefrom for a short distance, and to the lower end of said fixed standard, at opposite sides thereof, are pivoted the lower ends of two normally upright arms or supports, B B. To the upper ends of said supports BB is connected a frame or spider, C, pivoted or journaled so as to rock freely backward and forward upon the supports and independently of any rocking or yielding motion thereof.

Acentral screwspindle, D, is connected with the bottom of the chair-body or seat-frame in any of the well-known ways, and works in a central screw-threaded opening in the frame or spider C, so as to permit said chairbody Ior seat-frame to be raised and lowered to vary the elevation thereof, as well as to be revolved or turned by the occupant while seated or resting` therein, or to be turned for the purpose of reversing the seat or chair, as must be the case in order to prevent the chairl facing always in the same direction.

In order to' limit and govern the rocking movement of the frame or spider C (and consequently of the chair body or seat) relatively to the supports B B, and to render said rocking movements easy and elastic,linterpose between the outer ends of the front and rear arms of said frame or spider C andthe corresponding arms of a second spider, C', (pivoted between the supports B B a short distance below the spider 0,) suitable coiled springs, c c, which normally maintain the rocking spider or frame C in a horizontal position, while permitting it and the seat carried by it to be rocked freely relatively to the pivoted supports B B.

Platesprings E E, fastened at their lower ends to the lower end of the xed standard a (or to the base) are connected with or act upon the spider-frame C at their upper ends, and the tendency of said springs is to maintain the supports B B in a normally upright position,

v while allowing them to be moved or swayed out of the perpendicular against the force or power of the springs, thus allowing the said supports to rock upon their pivots with a yielding springy motion, and to be returned to their normally upright position when the disturbing inuences are at rest. The movement of the supports B B is backward and forward in the direction of the length of the car, and the range of movement is limited by the upper end of the standard a, against which the springs E E will come.

It will be obvious from what has been said that,owing to the capacity of thev chair or seat t0 sway or move from a point near the car-iloor against a yielding or elastic medium, sudden jerks and starts of the car will only cause the rigid base and standard to partake of thosemotions, while the supports will sway or move with an easy motion backward and forward, thus overcoming one of the most serious objections existingv to railroad travel. The motion of the y seat or chair will be easy, smooth, and delight ful, while the occupant may rock or tilt the chair upon the supports and turn it horizontally, so as to face in different directions, at pleasure. The occupant may also raise or lower the seat so as to suit his ease and-convenience in this direction.

It will of course be understood that spiral or other springs may be substituted for the flat springs shown as acting upon the yielding supports B B, and said springs may be connected with the yielding supports in any of the various well-known and suitable ways without the nterposition ofthe second spider, C.

I may here state that I am aware that chairs having the base and body connected bya yielding support or supports to permit the body or seat to yield or to rock or be moved relatively tothe base are old, and such. structure, broadly, is not claimed by me.

I am also aware that it is common to mount chair seats and bodies upon a support by means of arockin g frame, connection, or spider,which may be either entirely free t0 rock within certain limits or be acted upon by a spring or springs, so that the rocking lnotion is against the force of the springs, which thus serve to goitrol the rocking act-ion of the chair seat or I claim as my inventionn 3o 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a base, a rockin g or yielding support connected with said base, a chair body or seat carried by said rocking support, and an independent rocking connection be- 35 tween said rocking support and said chair body or seat.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth, of a base, a rocking ork yielding support connected with said base, a chair 4o body or seat carried by said rocking support, and a rocking and turning connection between said support and said chair body or seat.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a base, a rocking or yeld- 4 5 ing support connected with said base, the chair body or seat carried by said rocking support, and the rocking, turning, and elevating and lowering connection between said support and said chair body or'seat. 5o

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 26th day of July, A. D. 1880.

ELI. T. STARR.

- Witnesses:

WM. J. PEY'ION, JAMES YOUNG. 

